I write to thank Transitioning.org for being an avenue and channel for the local unemployed to voice out their grievances.

I am a 42-year-old engineer by profession graduating from oversea university and work in the oil and gas industries for 14 years in procurement.

The climate in my industries for the oil and gas is getting worst as more and more foreigners are competiting for jobs in my area and in the end sadly I can’t find any job that I can use my talent and skills to value add in Singapore.

As such, after 2005, I was retrenched in Singapore I have to move out to search for greener pasture but now that I havea new-born I have no choice but to find a local job.

I have been to one particular interview whereby a Indian national manager interviewed me and it was awful I must say – the minute I replied to his question that I am a Singaporean, he slows and stop his interview and say he has other interviewees to interview - immediately the next day my agency told me I was not selected.

I have no doubt about my work experience and capabilities but why Singapore is letting in so many foreigners to take away our jobs? Every country will protect their citizens first but my country don’t seem to behave that way – it is very sad honestly.

Now I hope to find a job overseas as there isn’t anything ironically for me in my own country.

I hope sincerely Singapore will be a better place for me and my family.

There must be change as I can see that I am one of the many victims here who find it hard to survive in my own country…

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15 Responses to “Jobless married 42-year-old engineer looking for work abroad and against foreign influx”

Like you, I was retrenched at 50 as a logistic manager in an oil & gas company after the our company was bought over by Chevron. I then had to leave my family to work in S.Arabia for a year in the same capacity & industry with an Arabian company. It was the most miserable year of my life as I missed my family a lot. I had never been separated from them for so long and my children were till young. At the lowest point of my life, I kept asking myself why it had to happen to me at an “old” age of 50. In the end, I decided to quit my job and become a taxi driver. In this way, I can remain in Singapore and be close to my family. Now, I’m happy that I made the right decision. High pay is not very thing in life. Happiness comes from love and closeness to your family

You might want to consider switching careers to teaching, healthcare or other industries that has lesser competition from foreigners. I am also an infocomm professional. When i assist the hr to shortlist the applicants, I nd noticed that there are many jobless infocomm ppl in their late 30s and early 40s sending in their resumes to my ex company to look for employment. Many of these jobless ppl are Singapreans who have been jobless for years. I tried to shortlist them for interviews but was rejected by the senior IT manager from India as he feels these jobless applicants has lost touch with technology as most have been jobless for one to three years. I felt very demoralised after seeing so many jobless singaporean infocomm professionals above 35 years old unable to get a meaningful job.

God damn, get your act together. Nobody owes you a living. Stop complaining about foreigners while you wanna stay with your family, for them it is also not easy as they are not “at home”. Either you are “hard” and go for a job overseas, open up your own company or just shut the F*** up! I have been working in 7 countries during the last decade, mainly Asia and a bit of Europe. And if you think that e.g. in Germany they protect their workers, stop dreaming! According to the law it is even easier to hire foreigners than in Singapore.

Why dont you try to get a job in Texas, USA? America is now booming in oil and gas through hydraulic fracturing. In about ten years, America is projected to be the biggest oil producer in the world. With your qualification, you might get hired and the company can sponsor you to get a green card. However, suggest you take up a course in speech as the American is different from Singaporean in spoken accent. It is not a problem as long as you speak slowly and clearly. If you can take the cold, North Dakota is another State where there is an oil and gas boom. California and many States too.

I beg to differ…A lot of singaporeans are giving excuses not to work overseas….I can tell u, nothing in this world is wasy. if you dun try, u will stay put on the same spot in SG, complaining that government this and that. You will not succeed if you stay to compete with FTs in SG.

Fyi – I went overseas to work now, Korea, Philippines and now China. Even foreigners are coming to work in China. Unless we can do something in 2016, or else just accept your fate and move on. Please do not complain, government do not owe you anything.

Guys, Nothing to do with an influx of FT taking away your job. it is your current government policy that needs to be tackled. Do understand your SG government is pro employer government at all cost so by making cheap people coming over to SG, SG employer is making more monies by hiring FT than local people which is very sad I understood your concerns and shared it with you deeply. from cheap labor means that less to pay employee and more savings for employer. you are fighting the wrong battle and will loose the war if you keep thinking this way.

Your government is making so easy for employers to play God. Your boss is God if you dare to ask question then you will be out of job right away with a non-sense HR paper processing which does not have any real HR power.

Talk to MOM, MOM policies are either at the employer discretion or by recommendations. which mean Employer do whatever you want of the employee at their will.

Singapore is a trap I learned the hard way I am a FT from EU with decent paycheck but SG government employee policy and employee human rights make me sick. Even I never got fired the years I have been working in SG I quit my job because I know that everything I got in SG is a just dream that will turn into a nightmare anytime.

So do not complain about FT taking away your job because you are pointing the fingers to the wrong people.

The party accidently screw us once, we voted for them. They accidentally screwed us again, we continue to vote for them overwhelmingly. I’m sure by now they think we Singaporeans, simply loved to be screwed, and is thinking up novel ways to screw us. Who do we have to blame? We deserved the government we voted for. I blame the short sighted, selfish, foolish, cowardly and stubborn 60%

Apply overseas for a job quickly using your past experience, then upon working for a few years migrate. Withdraw all your cash and CPF (including medisave and special account cash). Work overseas for a few years then apply back to Singapore to work on EP pass.